But all
that matters to me be this: you disobeyed me on your own showing and
risked a valuable jewel, messing about on the moor for vanity, or some
worse reason. And them that be careless of a lover's wishes before
marriage won't care a cuss for 'em after. In a word, I've done with you.
This is the last of a lot of pin-pricks you've given me lately, and I've
caught ideas and opinions from you during the past month that made me ask
myself some difficult questions. It's off, you understand."
'Twas true she'd been saying things to shake up James pretty frequent; but
this was better than her highest hopes, of course. She hid her joy,
however, and put her apron up to her eyes and shook her slim shoulders a
bit; then, as he was going, she told him a thing that astonished him.
"Whether or no," said Cora, "the amber heart, trash though it is, be mine,
not yours, James, and I'll thank you to return it to the lawful owner.
Since you be going to say 'good-bye,' we'll part friends, but thicky
necklace is mine, whatever your godless intentions."
He glared at her, stuffed the toy in his pocket and went back to his pony
without a word. But she followed him down the pathway and smiled at him as
he mounted, and even dared to rub the pony's nose, for she'd often been
suffered to ride the creature herself.
"If you won't give me the amber heart, Jimmy, I'll have you up for
breach," she said.
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